Famous Buildings With Greek Columns

Jennifer BurdettUpdated April 17, 2017

Famous buildings with Greek columns are situated in countries around the world. They display the three different types of Ancient Greek columns. Doric columns are plain and bulky and usually found on buildings of worship. Ionic columns are also plain in appearance, but taller and thinner compared to a Doric column. They're found on buildings of political importance. The Corinthian column, usually found on buildings to display wealth, has a multi-tiered base and is highly engraved.

The Parthenon

The famous ancient Parthenon building is located in Athens Greece. The Parthenon building work began in 447BC and ended in the year 432. The Parthenon has a total of 87 Ancient Greek Doric columns with 48 columns surrounding the outer structure and six columns outside the entrances and 27 columns inside.

The Temple of Athena Nike

The Temple of Athena Nike in Athens dates back to 420BC. It was made to house a wooden status of Athena Nike, a wingless Greek goddess of wisdom and protection. It has four ionic columns on the east side and four more on the west.

The Charlotte City Hall

The Charlotte City Hall is a neoclassical building with replica Corinthian double columns positioned on the front. Designed by Charles Christian Hook in the early 1900s, the Charlotte City Hall has replica Ancient Greek Corinthian columns which are set in six pairs with an additional two individual columns on both sides.

Petaluma Historic Museum and Library

The Petaluma Historic Museum in Petaluma, California was once the Carnegie Library. It was designed by architect Brainerd Jones in a Neo-Classical Revival style. The building has four Corinthian style columns outside the front doors of the building.

University of Virginia

The Thomas Jefferson-designed rotunda of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville has eight white Corinthian columns in front of it. The building was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1987.

New York City Alexander Hamilton Custom House

The Custom House, which was built between 1902 and 1907, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It has 44 Corinthian granite columns outside of the building, each decorated with the head of Mercury.

Russell House - Honors College

The Greek style Russell House Honors College building was designed by Ithiel Town and built between 1828 and 1830 in Middletown, Connecticut. The Russell House has six white Corinthian columns at the front of the building that support the front pediment.

About the Author

Based in Spain, Jennifer Burdett has been writing alternative medicine and health-related articles since 2007. Her work has appeared in "Inland Magazine" and in newspapers such as “Euro Weekly,” “Round Town News” and the “Sol Times.” Burdett received the Holistic Back Practitioner Asset Award in 2008 and qualified as a holistic back practitioner at StoneBridge College, U.K.